


Riptide

by evilseok



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin & Nakamoto Yuta are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is a villian, Lee Taeyong is a mom, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mentioned Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 01:24:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16692721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilseok/pseuds/evilseok
Summary: Donghyuck's life had been chosen for him. From the very beginning he knew nothing but bandages and bruises and the aching craving for someone to stand by his side. He had learned that nobody would be able to save him, and he embraced it, just as he embraced the power his family had passed on for thousands of years. Without regrets, he became the Riptide.Mark Lee is a photography student who simply wishes to learn more about this masked figure.[superhero/villian au]





	1. Intro

334 steps. It had been exactly 334 steps the man following Donghyuck had taken since he had exited the subway station. He wasn't sure as to what this man's purpose was nor what he was expecting to get out of this situation, though in any scenario it could would be as clear as day it would all lead to money, as it usually did. Though, Donghyuck couldn't understand why it had to have been him. Out of everyone who accompanied him on the ride back to Seoul, Donghyuck was the most stark looking. His jeans were ripped and stained with paint of different colors while his grey hoodie sagged over his body. Even his once white sneakers were tainted with dirt that the original appearance had almost completely faded and his dark hair was messy, partially covering most of his eyes. Everything about Donghyuck showed that he had nothing to offer, yet here this man was, now 422 steps into following him down the streets of Seoul. Truthfully he was convinced the man was a fool, after all, Donghyuck dressed a certain way to avoid as much attention as possible. For the most part this worked, until today.

Fidgeting with the bracelet he kept in the pocket of his hoodie, he stopped in his tracks, and unsurprisingly so did his stalker. Letting his fingers brush against the wooden beads one last time, Donghyuck turned to face the foolish man. His eyes were wild like a rabid dog and his hair rugged and greasy as he stood a mere few feet from Donghyuck. A pocket knife was clutched in his right as he pointed it towards the boy, the rest of his body stiff as a board. It could be easily inferred that this would be the first time the man had ever attempted such an act; from the way he stood, to the way his hands shook slightly from fear or adrenaline, a lack of confidence was a fresh scent stuck on his skin. It occurred to him that the man's actions made more sense now that he had taken time to fully observe him. Donghyuck had been targeted due to the simple that he had appeared to be the easiest. For a brief moment he felt pity for the fellow, pity at the naivety he had taken upon himself to mug Donghyuck of all people.

"I won't hurt you." He muttered, which came off as more of a reassurance to himself than to the boy. "Just give me what you have. All of it." 

Donghyuck did not budge, instead he continued to stare at the blade the man carried, an unreadable expression resting on his features. The man, growing impatient, stepped closer while slashing the knife a few inches from grazing his face, the boy however, did not react. "I'm warning you." He seethed. "Just take this as a lesson and do as I-"

"It was a mistake coming here." Donghyuck let the words fall from his lips in a soft voice, loud enough for the mugger to hear. "You've clearly done yourself a grave disservice."

"Shut up!!" The man stepped closer, his red eyes even more visible in the dimly lit sidewalk. "D-Do you not realize I could kill you right now??"

The rumbling of the sky above them catches Donghyuck's attention, the first drop hitting the palm of his outstretched hand. As he let the water drip from his fingers, he let out a tired sigh. 'Perhaps someone is trying to tell me that this encounter was inevitable.' the boy thought. With that, he stepped closer in front of the man. "Stay back!" He barked, stepping back slightly in confusion of the younger's action. It was unavoidable, this was what Donghyuck tried to convince himself as he continued to approach the old fool. It wasn't as if he thought he could ignore the tugging in his stomach any longer, the piercing pain that urged him to do what his instincts wanted from the start.

"I said...stay BACK!" Without warning the man lunges sloppily, his blade making contact with the boy's right cheek, a trail of blood flowing down. Although Donghyuck showed no reaction to this, the mugger was obviously caught off guard, the color slowly draining from his face. "I...I told you- I warned- I said I didn't want to hurt you..."

The light water droplets had begun to grow heavier, weighing down on their freezing bodies. "I know." Donghyuck murmured. "I didn't want to hurt you either."

A puzzled expression took hold of the man's face, but in a moment's glance it had shifted into a face of horror once he noticed, that the gash that he had previously left on the boy's cheek, was no longer visible. Only a trail of water dripping down from his face. "I hope you forgive me for what I am about to do." He whispered, barely audible. The sky growled fiercely, almost as if it too were anticipating what was to come. "Truthfully I gave you enough time to turn back when you could've, so perhaps I shouldn't feel too remorseful for you. Nonetheless..."

Donghyuck stared at the man. "You had it coming." 

Without restraint, the man's screams were drowned out by the sound of the pouring rain as it slammed against down into the ground.


	2. From What I’ve Heard

**xuxi**

if we can't see air, does that mean

fish can't see water?

 

 

**ten**

it is six in the morning and

I have not had enough coffee

to deal with this rn.

 

 

**johnny**

Lucas, did you even sleep?

 

 

**xuxi**

i'm a college student, do you think

I ever sleep??

 

 

_____

 

Staring at the messages left in the group chat, a small smile tugged at Mark's lips before hauling himself up from his bed. He had to admit, having friends proved to be a much better alarm clock than an actual alarm. It was still quite dark out as the sun had not fully risen as he was aware most people weren't, after all, it was a sunday.

 

Tiptoeing lightly across the thin floorboards of his apartment, Mark made his way towards his closet, though unfortunately for him, one of the many boxes that scattered his room had happened to have caught his leg, evidently leading to the boy crashing down to the floor with a rumble he was sure resonated three flights down. A chorus of groans and words Mark would never repeat seeped in from his walls as he winced slightly. "I guess I'll have to personally say sorry to them when I get the chance..." he said under his breath before getting up.

 

Navigating his way through the maze of boxes that littered his floor, he stepped into his closet and pulled out the first shirt and pair of jeans he could find before slipping them on. Normally he would take advantage of the day and sleep in until noon without thought, but since he'd be starting his first day at Seoul University Monday morning, his guidance counselor had invited him to tour the school before then. Mark checked his watch to see that it read 7:30am, which meant he had a good amount of time left before he needed to leave. With that he threw himself back onto his bed with a sigh. He was grateful that he had been accepted into such a good school despite taking a whole year off after High School; he had to remember to thank Jaehyun for the recommendation when he had the chance.

Even though he hadn't been gone from Korea for very long, it all felt a little strange to him, and as much as he tried to hide it from his friends, coming home had become a learning process. It had become like the very first time he had came to Seoul, naive and unfamiliar with an environment he had no idea how to comprehend. At the beginning this annoyed the boy greatly as he couldn't understand why he couldn't just act like nothing happened so he could move on with his life, to pursue his dreams and do everything he wished to accomplish just as he planned a few short years ago. Despite the energy he pumped himself with, something still hung at the back of his head. It was a gnawing feeling that seemed to only grow the more Mark tried to ignore it, a queasiness in his stomach that made his deepest worries flow to the top of his head. Despite his positivity, the boy still bothered to wonder if now was the best time to come back.

 

Before Mark could bury himself further into the weight of his fears, a buzz sounds from his phone, and with a short groan, he picks it up to read its message.

 

 

 

**doyoung**

Mark, are you almost ready?

 

 

**mark**

yeah, I’m gonna leave pretty 

soon

 

 

 

**johnny**

Want us to meet you at the entrance?

 

 

**mark**

nah it’s alright, Mrs. Park is

gonna give me a tour of the campus. 

                                   

  

**taeyong**

I don't think she will.

 

 

 **xuxi**

????

 

 **taeyong**

Check the news.

There was an incident

last night near the school.

They're shutting down the campus

for the day.

 

 

**ten**

Woah. Time out.

What happened??

 

 

 **taeyong**

Apparently some guy got

attacked last night. They found

him unconscious this morning,

and when he woke up, he started

spouting that he saw a monster.

 

 

**johnny**

Maybe he just got drunk and

hit his head on the pavement?

The guy sounds like he isn't

completely all there.

 

 

 **taeyong**

Maybe, bur the school is taking

it pretty seriously. Apparently

they’re even considering closing

the uni for a week.

 

 

 

**mark**

                                                    A week???

                              Isn’t that a bit excessive?

                   Can’t they just check the CCTVs?

 

 

**taeyong**

That’s what I was thinking.

But apparently everything

the cameras got is destroyed.

 

 

 **doyoung**

How???

 

 **taeyong**

It’s weird

but from what I heard

a bunch of water had gotten

into the footage and wiped

out all the content on it.

 

 

**xuxi**

Huh. Must’ve been the rain.


End file.
